Banana Walnut Bread By Request

I’m not gonna lie, I’m really good at following recipes. Once I’m comfortable with a dish I can get creative and add my own touches, but that comfort level usually takes about three preparations. I do, however, go free-form when I cook a Pasta Party. I learned how to do this from my mother. You basically take anything in the fridge that can go with pasta and you cook it up, add some garlic and parmesan, and you’re good to go! I actually did this the other night. My lovely friend April bought some fresh veggies for me at the farmer’s market and I decided it was the perfect time for a Pasta Party. It was delish! I put sweet onion, red bell pepper, white and purple eggplant and zucchini in a pan and cooked it up with olive oil and garlic, then added salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the mix. I crisped up some chicken sausage in another pan, added everything together in one harmonious bowl, sprinkled parmesan on top, and was in Pasta Party heaven!

But I digress. I found a very simple banana bread recipe online, and it turned out perfectly! Out of the three loaves I’ve made in the past two weeks (zucchini walnut, pumpkin walnut, and now banana walnut—yes, I bought a big-ass bag of walnuts and intend to use them all), I have to say that this one is my favorite! My boyfriend actually put in the request for the banana bread. I don’t usually take requests. I feel that a true chef, like any artiste, needs to feel passion (or extreme cravings) for what they make. This one turned out so well, though, that I think I might be taking more requests in the future :)

Here is the recipe if you want to try it at home. It doesn’t call for walnuts, so I just put enough in until I was happy. Enjoy!

Banana Walnut Bread Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• However many walnuts you want--maybe 1/2 cup
  

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.